I'm looking to find some nail biting page turners. I know it's not typical to find that in the romance genre- although there have def been some good Gothics known to do that trick. If anyone can rec some good books for me I would really appreciate it. It doesn't have to be a true romance book--I'm in the mood to go outside my comfort zone anyway. I just want something to read late at night when it's quiet and everyone else is asleep, while I'm cuddled in my blanket with my book light on......something that gives me some shivers and goosebumps! Guess I've been watching too much of that show on planet green "A Haunting". I'd love to read some really good books like that. Any help would be truly appreciated!!

The scariest book I've read in a while was A Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Its about this ghoulish, aging rocker that buys a "haunted" box on a whim and gets way more than he bargained for.

Jennifer Crusie has one that I found really scary, also. Maybe This Time is a Henry James-ish, kids being haunted story. Shudder...

There's one more that I'm desperately trying to remember the story and name of the book now, about a woman who HAS to buy this one very old house. She develops a relationship with the dude that's fixing it up for her. Its really scary and has an awesome surprise twist ending. Now that I've thought about it I want to read it again and I can't remember the name!

The first one has romantic elements, of a sort, but the Crusie and the (?) are haunting/romantic suspense with stronger romances.

I've read many suspense books and the one that still comes to mind when asked this question is See Jane Run by Joy Fielding. Written in the early 90s, this is a psychological suspense story that had me on edge from start to finish. My blood pressure runs high anyway, but I'm sure it rose considerably while reading this one. Because I was never sure which direction it was taking, and because the mind had freedom to wander, it was a roller coaster of emotions and anxious anticipation. Loved it. I've often wondered what a re-read of it would be, but I'm sure it would be nowhere as great as the first reading (and no peeks at the end to find out the conclusion, which would totally ruin the intent of the story).

One of the most traumatizing books I read was when I was a teen and was given DEERSKIN by Robin McKinley. It was based on a fairy tale and I was told it was a novel for YA. Shakes head. That book was not meant for children and YA. What happened to the heroine made me so upset and scared I had nightmares.

This sounds like a strange suggestion, but I remember being really scared the first time I read this. You'll probably have to dig around used book sources to find it, or it might be in a library.

Zoologist Gerald Durrell (younger brother of novelist Lawrence Durrell), wrote some extremely funny books relating stories from his childhood (try My Family and Other Animals if you want a laugh-out-loud experience). One volume of his stories is called The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium (published 1979). The last story in the collection is "The Entrance." It is set up as being a manuscript acquired from the library of a prison doctor. Supposedly it was found after the death of a prisoner under the doctor's care, and bought by a friend of Gerald Durrell, who then gives it to Durrell to read. Worth digging up. I have never researched this further to find out if it's actually a mysterious manuscript or whether Durrell wrote the story himself, but it's scary.

Another suggestion would be the short stories of M.R. James. A 20th century author, James wrote some beautiful little ghost stories that I have enjoyed reading. Any of his collections would be worth tracking down. And ghost story anthologies frequently include some of his stories.

Also, Modern Library collected a great volume, Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural, that I gave to my horror-loving niece. It has a variety of stories you might enjoy. It was edited by Herbert Wise, published 1944 and reprinted in 1989. It has a little bit of everything in the horror department.

Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is a favorite of mine. Also enjoyed the ambiguity and creepiness of Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger. I know a lot of people love Susan Hill's The Woman in Black.

Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is a favorite of mine. Also enjoyed the ambiguity and creepiness of Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger. I know a lot of people love Susan Hill's The Woman in Black.

Agree about The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I read this last Fall wanting a ghost story, and it was scary. Don't read it all alone in a 200 yr. old cabin in the middle of nowhere. Oh, wait...that's what I did. Not a great decision, because it did scare me.... a lot.
I also agree with Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. The ghost is written in a very creepy way. And Hill's writing really brings you into the picture.

I have The Woman in Black ready to read at some point._________________"As you wish"
~The Princess Bride

I'm looking to find some nail biting page turners. I know it's not typical to find that in the romance genre- although there have def been some good Gothics known to do that trick. If anyone can rec some good books for me I would really appreciate it. It doesn't have to be a true romance book--I'm in the mood to go outside my comfort zone anyway. I just want something to read late at night when it's quiet and everyone else is asleep, while I'm cuddled in my blanket with my book light on......something that gives me some shivers and goosebumps! Guess I've been watching too much of that show on planet green "A Haunting". I'd love to read some really good books like that. Any help would be truly appreciated!!

I just don't read anything like that. Not since I made the mistake of picking up "The Amityville Horror" and reading it straight through while babysitting until 2 am when I was in high school.

But there's your answer for the scariest book I ever read. Fiction doesn't really get me, though--I can rationalize that it's just that--fiction. It's your "Haunting" show and those midnight runs of UFO shows that suck me in. And then keep me up all night.